Love Will Always Win
by cowbell2011
Summary: This is a one shot based on the commentary from the season 10 DVD regarding the alternate ending that was considered. Will be mostly H/R fluff!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: OK, so BIG BIG SPOILER WARNING! Do NOT read this if you do not want to know what alternative ending Kudos had planned for the end of season 10! If you don't mind knowing, then read on!**

**Right well, I really felt like I needed to get this down on paper (so to speak) tonight. Finding out the alternative ending has really thrown me, as I can't get it right in my head which ending I would have preferred. This one shot is based on the transcript of the audio commentary from the season 10 DVD for episode 6. ForeverSecret on the Spooks forum very kindly put the commentary down in words for us folk who don't have it yet, so if you want to see the lines that have inspired this fic, head on over there, or alternatively message me and I'll provide you with a link. I hope you all enjoy this! I will get back to work on Realisations tomorrow. :)**

'No! Harry! No! No, you can't take him, it's not his fault, he didn't do anything! Harry! Harry!'

Ruth was hysterical as Erin tried unsuccessfully to hold her back while Harry was cuffed and led away by Special Branch officers. She ran to him and kissed him for all she was worth, feeling him respond to her desperately. If this was the last time she would ever see him without a clear plastic screen between them then she was going to make it count. All too soon, the officers pulled them apart and bundled Harry into the waiting car as Ruth collapsed to the ground, sobs wracking her body. Erin stayed at a safe distance, not wanting to intrude on Ruth's anguish, and not even knowing what she could say to make it any better anyway. After a long while, Ruth's sobs died down somewhat and Erin gently picked her up off the floor and led her to the car, intent on getting back to the grid as soon as possible to find out if there was anything at all they could do to help Harry.

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><p><em><strong>30 minutes earlier<strong>_

It was over. Elena had confessed to everything and Ilya had taken his revenge in the only way a former KGB officer knew how. Sasha was distraught, and had fled the scene in tears, Ilya chasing after him trying to explain. Ruth turned to Harry, expecting to see him happy, happy that they could put all this behind them and start a new life together. But what she saw in Harry's eyes wasn't happiness, it was sadness. He could see her confusion and began to explain.

'Ruth, people are going to want blood for this. All the sordid details that have come out of this whole affair. And the fact a Russian minister's wife has been murdered on our soil. Somebody's going to have to take the fall for this.'

He paused for a minute and watched the terror appear on Ruth's face as she pieced together what he was trying to say. Needlessly, he finished his speech.

'Sweetheart, it's going to have to be me.'

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than a distant banging could be heard, and then voices shouting Harry's name as Special Branch made their presence known.

* * *

><p>Back on the grid, Ruth had calmed down slightly as Erin had explained the plan Dimitri and Callum had come up with to try and save Harry from a lifetime of imprisonment. Her chin was set in a show of defiance as she listened to Erin explain how they would commandeer the small plane that was due to take Harry to a detention facility in Scotland within the hour. How they would prepare a new legend for him and he would have to flee the country in order to be safe. Her heart fell as she listened to Erin continue to talk.<p>

'The thing is Ruth, and this is really important. You...you won't be able to go with him. In fact you won't even be able to come with us to break him out.'

At the look of devastation on Ruth's face Erin quickly continued, desperate to get her explanation out before Ruth became hysterical again.

'They'll be watching you Ruth. For a long, long time after this. They'll be convinced you helped him. We can't afford for you to know anything. Not even his new name.'

At this, Ruth backed slowly away from Erin, before turning and fleeing to the toilets. She didn't hear Erin's whispered last words as she disappeared round the corner.

'I'm sorry.'

* * *

><p>Ruth stayed in the toilets in the grid for over two hours, until she felt she could cry no more tears. She had heard Erin at the door shortly after she had entered, telling her that they were leaving to execute their plan. She assumed they would come back and let her know how it had gone before they went home. Hearing the distant swoosh of the pods from inside the cubicle, she rose to her feet and made her way out to meet them, her whole body numb in shock. <em>It wasn't supposed to be like this. We were going to have a life. A home. How dare they take that away from us. <em>She couldn't even draw comfort from the fact he would at least be free. He would be in a country he didn't know, with no friends, no company. She knew firsthand how lonely a life that was. As Erin approached her, Dimitri and Callum hanging back, only two words were spoken before she nodded curtly and left the grid.

'It's done.'

* * *

><p>Ruth had decided to go back to work on the grid. She knew they were watching her, and she knew the only reason she still had her job was because it was easier for them to keep an eye on her whilst she worked for them. But she needed to be there to feel closer to Harry. When nobody else was around, she would go into his office, not yet filled by anybody else, and just sit in his chair and cry. It had been three days since he had been freed by the team. They had made it look like Harry had escaped by himself. It hadn't fooled anybody, but it at least provided them with plausible deniability. She wondered where he was, what his name was, how he was doing. She hadn't slept more than a couple of hours since he had been gone, too scared to sleep in case he filled her dreams too.<p>

Listlessly, she filled in the forms on her desk, the light from her lamp the only source of illumination on the grid. She had taken to staying later and later each day, no reason to go home and nothing to get excited about. Her phone began to ring and she briefly wondered who it could be before curiosity got the better of her and she answered.

Her heart stopped as she heard familiar breathing on the other end of the line. _Harry. He's safe._ No words were said for over a minute, both knowing that voice recognition would instantly pick up Harry's tones. She noticed the screen of her phone flashing as she held it to her ear and realised that Harry had somehow found a way of communicating with her without speaking. In a low voice, she spoke slowly.

'Once for yes, twice for no. Are you safe?'

The phone flashed once. She hesitated before asking the next question, knowing what the answer would be but needing to hear it nonetheless.

'Are you happy?'

Nothing happened for a minute but then her phone flashed twice and she released a breath she hadn't even realised she was holding. She listened to Harry's breathing for a while longer, trying not to break down in tears and ruin the call. A speech began to form in her mind, of what she wanted to say to him and bravely, she started to speak.

'I'm going to find you. No matter how long it takes. How much money it costs. How much sacrifice I have to make. I will find you and we will have a life together. I...'

She hesitated, not knowing if she should say the words, before deciding that not allowing Harry to say them on the dock all those years ago had been the biggest mistake of her life.

'I love you.'

She watched as the screen flashed once, Harry's acceptance of her quest to find him and the only way he could reciprocate her feelings at that moment. She waited until she heard the faint beep that signalled the end of the call before bursting into tears. Except this time, her tears were of happiness and she resolved that she would keep her promise to Harry, and no matter how long it took she would find him.

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><p><em><strong>Three years later<strong>_

_**Brazil**_

Harry walked slowly along the edge of the beach, the sea lapping at his bare feet. He smiled at the people passing him by, but it was a smile that did not reach his eyes. He had been in Brazil for 2 years now, having felt it was finally safe to stay in one place for more than a few weeks. He had found a small but adequate home, the money Erin had pushed into his hands the night they had rescued him more than enough to last him the rest of his life. _It could last two people the rest of their lives_ he thought to himself, before quickly closing that train of thought. He didn't allow himself to think of Ruth while he was out in public, as more often than not it ended in tears. He missed her terribly, so much it hurt. He knew this was the only way he could have secured his freedom, but he constantly wondered if losing her in order to be free had been too high a price. He was even beginning to lose hope that she would ever find him. She had nothing to go on, knowing that only Erin now knew his name and was under strict instructions to never reveal it to anyone. He couldn't help but think that if she was going to find him, she would have done by now. _But then, _he thought, _I have been very careful._ He was so tempted to leave a few clues here and there for her, things only she would get, but he knew it was too risky and he would just have to rely on her ingenuity and hope that one day she would find her way to him.

Deciding to make his way home, he turned and began to walk back up the beach. Reaching his front door, he immediately became suspicious when the piece of paper he had wedged into it could be seen on the floor. Old habits died hard, and he would never assume he was completely safe. Reaching into his bag, he drew out his pistol, prepared for whoever was inside. He edged the door open slowly and stealthily moved into the hallway. He could hear breathing in the living room and without making a sound, and in a move that defied his advancing years, he leapt into the room, gun raised and ready to fire. What he saw stopped him dead.

His mouth hung open and his hands went limp, the gun dropping to the floor with a thud. He wanted to say something, anything, but words failed him. Sat on his sofa, looking as beautiful as the last time he had seen her, was Ruth. Her hair was longer and she was tanned. He assumed she had been in South America for a while trying to track him down as she had never been one for tanning in the name of beauty. She smiled at him and it was all he needed. His voice cracked with emotion as he spoke, but he only needed to speak one word.

'Ruth.'

They threw themselves at each other, colliding in a fierce hug, lips meeting in the most passionate kiss either had ever known, tears streaming down both of their faces. She had kept her promise. She had found him. And they would spend the rest of their lives together making up for lost time.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I decided to add a few more chapters to this one. It will get fluffier after this, but I felt like this chapter was needed before I could dive right into the fluff! And for those of you who are wondering, I will work on Diaries of a Broken Heart tonight or tomorrow. Hope you enjoy.**

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><p>Their lips never parted once as Harry pulled Ruth with him, stumbling backwards in search of his bedroom. They negotiated the hallway with ease, but when they reached the stairs, Ruth pulled away giggling.<p>

'Harry, stop kissing me for a second and show me to your bedroom. It's taken me three years to get here, I don't want a terrible accident to ruin it all now.'

Harry merely nodded, a wide smile on his face, unable to believe she was actually there with him. Taking her hand, he led her up the stairs and into the first door they came to. His room was sparse, just the bare essentials. He had never thought to decorate properly as it had never really felt like a home, until now. Placing his hands on Ruth's waist, he pulled her into him and began kissing her again. She moaned at his touch, running her hands all over his back and over his shoulders, bringing them to rest on his chest as she traced circles over his strong muscles through the thin material of his t shirt.

They fell backwards onto the bed and clothes were removed in a flurry of activity. Once naked, Harry took a moment to admire Ruth's form, moving his fingertips gently over her smooth soft skin. Ruth shivered at his touch, her arousal growing as his fingers moved closer and closer to her breasts. Suddenly, the movement stopped and she opened her eyes to see him staring at her intently.

'Ruth, I...how did you find me? How did you get away?'

The pain and relief she saw in Harry's eyes, mixed with his all consuming love for her took her breath away. It had been hell for her, and she had never thought it would take so long to find him, but it was only now that she realised it must have been even worse for him, not even knowing if she was still trying to reach him. She leaned forward and kissed him gently, wiping away the few stray tears on his face at the same time.

'I will tell you everything Harry, but not right now. Right now I want the man of my dreams to make love to me like his life depends on it.'

'Oh, is he here with you then?'

Their laughs at Harry's attempt at a joke soon died out as they came together again in a long passionate kiss, and all thoughts of explanations and heart to hearts were lost in the passion that overcame them.

* * *

><p>Ruth awoke early in the morning, her body aching delightfully. She had stayed true to Harry, and in the three years it had taken her to find him, she had not even looked at another man. Last night she had been glad of that fact. Their lovemaking had been intense and had lasted for hours, and she had never experienced anything like it. Eventually they had collapsed against each other exhausted, and she had fallen asleep with her head on Harry's chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.<p>

This was the position she found herself in now, and she didn't want to move for fear of waking Harry. The sound of his heart beating soothed her, and proved that this moment was actually real and not a dream. Harry shifted beneath her and she looked up at his face to find him staring back at her with such love that it almost brought tears to her eyes. They shared a long slow kiss before either spoke, not wanting to ruin the beauty of finally being able to wake up in each other's arms.

'I love you Harry.'

'I love you too Ruth. How about we go and get some breakfast, then you can tell me all about the last three years of your life?'

Ruth smiled, nodding her agreement, and they took their time getting dressed, distracted easily by each other. Once out the house, Harry led Ruth towards the beach, where they ate breakfast together before walking over the sand, hand in hand. They walked in silence for as while, and Ruth could tell that Harry was eager for her to begin her story, but didn't want to keep pushing her. She took pity on him, pulling on his hand to indicate they should sit. Harry pulled her down between his legs, her back to him and he wrapped his strong arms around her middle. She leaned back into him, enjoying his touch for a moment before she started to speak.

'It was hell for me Harry. Especially the first year. The JIC were all over me, interviewing me, then re-interviewing me over and over again. They did the same to everybody on the grid. We all denied knowing anything obviously. Nobody gave you up, Harry. Our plan to make it look like you had escaped yourself worked perfectly. They had no evidence to the contrary, and after nearly a year they seemed to just give up. I don't know, new government, new faces. Their priorities seemed to change. The attempted terrorist attack on the Olympics helped, I think.'

At that revelation, Harry looked questioningly at Ruth, his spook instinct wanting to know more about the attack. He noted her use of the word 'attempted' however, and deemed that story could wait until a later date. Nodding at her to continue, he tightened his grip around her waist and kissed the top of her head softly.

'Once they were off my back, I could start to look for you, but I didn't have anything to go on at all. I knew that Erin had your new name, but no matter how much I begged she wouldn't give it to me, said it was too risky. I hated her for a long while for that.'

Ruth's voice wavered as she remembered the long arguments she had engaged in with Erin over Harry. On more than one occasion she had contemplated walking out of her job over it, but knew that she would never be able to find Harry without the resources at Thames House, so she had stuck it out.

'I was a mess Harry. I wasn't eating or sleeping, I worked every hour I could. I would stay late on the grid every night, waiting until everybody had left before working on finding you. I had to cover my tracks well, just in case anybody was still monitoring me. But I wasn't getting anywhere anyway. It was 18 months since you had left, but it felt like a lifetime to me. I...I was ready to give up.'

Ruth burst into tears and Harry rocked her gently, running his hands over her arms in an attempt to comfort her. He pulled her back into him as tightly as he could, placing small kisses over her exposed shoulders and neck.

'Sssshhh, it's OK Ruth. You were doing the best you could. I don't blame you for wanting to give up. You're here now, that's what matters. Come on, let's go home. You can finish the story another time.'

He moved to stand up but she resisted, tugging on his t shirt in an effort to keep him in place.

'No Harry, let me finish. I need to say this. I need to get it all out now. '

He nodded, and squeezed her hands to indicate he was ready for her to continue. She took a few deep breaths to compose herself before resuming her story.

'Erin must have eventually taken pity on me. Everyone on the grid could see what a mess I was in. My work was suffering, and I wasn't the same person I had been. One day, about 14 months ago, I came into work early and there was a travel guide for South America on my desk. A post it note with the words 'Go To Him' was stuck on the top. I wasted no time of course. The last thing I did before I left the grid for the last time was get a list of all the planes or helicopters that had entered South America the day of your escape. It was such a long list Harry. And I still didn't have your name. I packed a few things at home before catching the next plane to Argentina. I took a picture of you and I just worked my way down the list until I came to an airfield where somebody recognised you.'

Harry's heart sank at the thought of how much Ruth had been through in order to find him. How he wished he had left Erin with orders to reveal his name once the coast was clear. She would have found him sooner and they wouldn't have lost so much time. He could see she was still struggling with her emotions and was unlikely to be able to finish the story so he pieced together the rest for himself and voiced it out loud to see if he had made any mistakes.

'So you've spent a year travelling the continent, tracing my movements. I've been in this town in Brazil for two years but before that I must have been to hundreds of different towns all over South America. Oh Ruth, how can you ever forgive me for putting you through that?'

'Because I love you Harry. And I promised I would find you no matter what.'

They didn't speak for a long while after that, both of them content to just sit and watch the waves crash against the rocks that lined the beach. The sound of the ocean somehow brought them peace, and they were able to finally put everything that had happened behind them, safe in the knowledge that they were now together, and this time there would be nothing getting in their way of happiness.


	3. Chapter 3

They had stayed on the beach until the wind blowing in from the ocean had begun to chill them. A sombre atmosphere hung over them since Ruth had revealed her experiences from the last three years, and Harry wanted to try and lighten the mood. Taking Ruth's hand, he gently pulled her towards the rocks that lined the edge of the beach.

'Come on Ruth, I want to show you something really beautiful.'

Ruth allowed Harry to lead her towards the rocks, confused as to what could be so beautiful about them, but also intrigued over what Harry was going to show her. She decided to reserve judgement until she had seen it for herself. Knowing that Harry had once described a 30 year old bottle of scotch as beautiful, Ruth did not have high hopes for what was coming.

Carefully, Harry picked his way over the smaller rocks, pointing out a safe route for Ruth to follow. He hoisted himself up onto a particularly large boulder, turning to help Ruth up onto it once he found a steady foothold. Ruth followed the direction Harry was excitedly pointing with her eyes and gasped as the sight before her took her breath away.

The rocks concealed from the beach a beautiful cove that was almost cut into the formation. It could not be seen from anywhere except out at sea and provided the perfect private setting for anybody who cared to brave the razor sharp pathway to find it. The sand was pure white, almost dazzling Ruth as the sun reflected off it. The water was gentle, waves being broken by the rocks that offered protection against the current. She followed Harry as he made his way down onto the sand, flicking off his flip flops as he went like he had been there on more than one other occasion. Her suspicions were confirmed when he reached behind an inconspicuous looking rock to retrieve a brightly coloured beach bag.

From the bag, Harry laid out two large towels on the sand and motioned for Ruth to lie down. She watched from her comfortable position as he removed his t shirt before joining her on the adjacent towel. Seeing her amazed expression, he allowed himself a small laugh before explaining his actions.

'I found this place one day a few months ago whilst exploring out of sheer boredom. I've never seen another soul down here. I think the novelty's probably worn off on the locals, and it's not exactly the type of town you get tourists. I like to think of it as my own little slice of paradise.'

Ruth could scarcely believe that Harry had taken the time to explore and find a place like this. She had always assumed that outside of work, he would be happy to sit and read a book, a good bottle of whisky by his side. The last thing she would have had him doing whilst in exile in a foreign country was out and about looking for local beauty spots. Be that as it may, she was grateful he had brought her here; it really was a beautiful place.

She looked out onto the ocean, noting that there didn't appear to be a single boat in sight. The sky was clear and the sun was blazing down on them. In that moment, she couldn't remember the last time she had been that happy. Turning to Harry, she kissed him deeply, letting her hands wander over his bare chest. Pulling back briefly to look into his eyes, Ruth had a sudden surge of confidence. Having left her inhibitions back in England, she slowly unbuttoned her blouse, her eyes never leaving Harry's in order to see his reaction to the fact she had neglected to wear a bra.

The reaction was exactly what she had been hoping for. Harry's mouth opened and closed a few times but no sound came out. Eventually he simply leaned forward and captured Ruth's lips with his own in a searing kiss. Pulling her back down onto the towel with him, they wasted no time in removing the remainder of their clothing. Caution to the wind, they made love on the sand under the scorching sunshine.

* * *

><p>Harry gingerly sat on the sofa in his living room, Ruth trying unsuccessfully to hold in the laughter that escaped from her mouth.<p>

'Oh Harry, that'll teach you not to put sun block on _every_ part of skin you reveal in such a hot country.'

She left the room momentarily, still chuckling to herself, before returning with a bottle of after sun for Harry. He took it from her eagerly and dropped his shorts with no hesitation. Turning around to try and inspect the damage, he scowled at Ruth, clearly of the impression that his predicament was her fault.

'Well Ruth, I didn't exactly stop to think about that when you were frantically undressing me. And if you hadn't insisted on doing it _three _times out there, we would never have been out in the sun long enough for me to...BURN! Christ Ruth!'

Ruth had taken the opportunity to apply some of the after sun to Harry's behind whilst he had been distracted and he yelped at the cold feel of it on his hot stinging skin. After a moment he settled down, the cream beginning to sooth his burns. He positioned himself on his front on the sofa in a rather undignified way, signalling for Ruth to apply more cream and rub it in.

'Oh no Harry, you're not getting me that way. I know what your plan is. You can apply the cream yourself while I go and sort out some food.'

Ruth left the bottle within easy reach of him before leaving him to his own devices. He could hear her making noises in the kitchen as he twisted his back more than he should have been able to in order to apply more cream. Wincing again at the coldness of it, he gingerly spread it around before giving up and slumping back to his original position to let it sink in by itself. He watched as Ruth returned from the kitchen, a huge bowl of salad in one hand and a plate of fresh bread in the other.

'I thought you might want something easy that you could eat while lying down.'

He nodded his appreciation before snagging a few pieces of tomato out the bowl and munching on them greedily. Ruth cut him some bread and passed it over, smiling at the sheer domesticity of the situation. In England, they had never done this. Their one and only date had been so long ago, and their chance at true happiness had seemingly been taken away from them three years ago. To be here now, in such domestic bliss, was a miracle for Ruth, and she intended to take advantage of it. Leaning over the food, she kissed Harry deeply, caressing his cheek with her free hand before pulling away to resume eating her meal.

'What was that for?' Harry questioned.

'Because I love you. Do I need any other reason?'

Harry's smile lit up the room at Ruth's statement, and he shook his head in response before reaching for more tomato.

'No Ruth, no you don't.'


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: An idea popped into my head for this and wouldn't leave me alone, so I'm going with it. It's a bit...well..you'll see. I'm not sure people will like it, but I'll give it a whirl. I think we're all familiar with the concept of suspension of disbelief after 10.6 anyway! Apologies in advance for the way I leave this chapter...**

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><p>'Harry?'<p>

'Hmmm?'

Harry couldn't find the energy to say a proper sentence, he was so comfortable. They were curled up on the sofa, watching some film or other that Ruth had wanted to see. He hadn't really been paying attention since Ruth had started tracing light circles on his chest through the thin material of his t shirt. It was becoming more and more distracting, and he was thinking to himself whether Ruth would perhaps mind that they watched the end of the film another time so that he could take her upstairs and ravish her.

'Do you think maybe we could go upstairs?'

Harry smiled. 'You read my mind Ruth.'

Taking Ruth by the hand, he led her into the bedroom and they kissed slowly. Ruth was just about to lift Harry's t shirt when they heard a loud bang come from downstairs. Harry immediately sprang into action, grabbing a pistol from underneath the bed before edging towards the stairs.

'You stay here Ruth, I'll be back in a minute.'

Ruth waited, then she waited and waited some more. She was beginning to get worried when Harry suddenly appeared in the room again, pistol tucked into the back of his shorts.

'Bloody kids playing football in the street. They must have kicked the ball at the door.'

They both let out a sigh of relief, and Harry replaced the gun in its rightful place before getting into bed with Ruth.

'Now...where were we?'

Ruth giggled as Harry pulled her towards him, his hands finding their way underneath her blouse, tickling her sensitive skin. They kissed for a long while, tongues fighting for dominance, never breaking contact as they undressed each other. Their lovemaking was slow and gentle; they had all the time in the world.

Afterwards, they lay in each other's arms and Harry could tell something was bothering Ruth. He squeezed her arms gently in a show of support, to let her know it was OK to voice her worries. Sighing, she wrapped her arms even tighter around his body and it was a minute or so before she spoke.

'I just worry sometimes Harry. Like earlier. Are we forever going to be looking over our shoulders, jumping at every little noise, getting paranoid every time somebody new turns up in the village? I don't want to live like that.'

Harry didn't know what to say. He had lived like that for a year before settling in Brazil, and he couldn't disagree with her that it was not an ideal way to live. Settling for reassurance, he stroked her cheek gently and looked deeply into her eyes to get his point across.

'Ruth, I've lived here for two years, and nobodies come for me yet. I'm fairly certain they don't know we're here. I have confidence in your abilities that you managed to get here without being followed. It's natural after doing our job for so long that we are paranoid about every little detail, but you must learn to relax.'

Ruth nodded, sighing into Harry's chest. He could see that he had almost got through to her, and with a twinkle in his eye, he rolled her over and whispered into her ear.

'I think I can help you with some relaxation techniques if you're having trouble.'

* * *

><p>Harry walked into the kitchen, stomach growling, to find Ruth struggling with a packet of bacon.<p>

'Damn you...you...THING!'

Suddenly, the packet flew open and Ruth, unprepared for the sudden tearing of the packaging, ended up flinging the bacon all over the counter. Picking it up quickly and placing it into the frying pan, she cursed under her breath and spun round when she heard Harry laughing behind her.

'Don't think you won't go the same way as this bloody bacon if you don't keep quiet Mr. Pearce.' Ruth warned, stabbing viciously at the bacon, rather than turning it as she should be.

'Oh, I'm quiet, I'm quiet Ruth.'

Harry allowed himself one more chuckle before moving to the fridge to retrieve the rest of the ingredients for Ruth. He tutted quietly to himself as he realised he was out of eggs and mushrooms.

'Ruth, I'm going to pop down to the market for a few bits we need for breakfast, won't be a second.'

Ruth merely nodded in agreement, still too busy stabbing the offending rashers of bacon to turn round and acknowledge Harry. He picked up his wallet and keys from the side and left the house at a slow stroll. He wasn't bothered about getting back before the bacon was cooked, he liked it cold anyway.

Reaching the market, he dispensed with the tradition of haggling that seemed to be so popular in this part of the world and simply paid the asking price for the eggs and mushrooms. Taking the paper bag from the vendor, he thanked him in his now fluent Portuguese before making his way back towards home. He stopped for a moment when something at the last stall caught his eye. It was a beautiful vintage ring, small rubies and sapphires adorning the faded gold metal. Harry had been thinking of proposing to Ruth for some time now, and he thought this was just the sort of ring she would like, as far from traditional as you could get. Deciding to take up the tradition of haggling this time, he managed to get the vendor down to an agreeable price, and tucked the ring safely in his shorts pocket. Now all he needed to do was find the perfect moment to give it to Ruth.

Walking the short distance home, he first noticed something was not quite right from the small plume of smoke coming from the kitchen window. His unease only increased when he reached his front door to find it slightly ajar. Reaching inside the doorway, he retrieved a pistol from a hidden compartment behind the small desk he used to keep his keys and wallet on. Moving stealthily, he checked first the living room and then the kitchen, finding both rooms empty, but the bacon still in the pan burning; the cause of the smoke.

Quickly turning off the heat on the hob, he made his way upstairs, still keeping silent, and checked both his and the spare bedroom before finally making his way into the bathroom. Upon finding nobody there, he stood and stared at his reflection in the mirror, seeing the confusion and worry in his eyes. Where was Ruth?


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews so far, they really do encourage me to carry on writing. :)**

Harry was going out of his mind. He had looked all through the house again, checking every room meticulously to make sure Ruth wasn't playing an elaborate joke on him, or worse, had collapsed somewhere and needed his help. She was nowhere to be found and there were no clues anywhere to where she might be. All he had to go on was his slightly ajar door that didn't even have any signs of forced entry. This left him with two options; either Ruth had left the house voluntarily and had simply forgotten to close the door properly, or she had been taken, by somebody who had merely walked up the drive and knocked on the door.

His heart sank at this thought. Ruth was not the sort of person to leave food burning on the hob and leave the door open when she left home. This gave him only one possibility. She had been taken. He collapsed against the doorframe in the kitchen as a sob escaped his throat. Only last night he had reassured her they no longer needed to worry about this kind of thing happening. How wrong could he have been? Straightening up, he left the house with a determined look on his face, intending to search every square inch of the town for his Ruth.

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><p>Ruth came to, slowly, but everything was still rather fuzzy. She didn't know where she was as everything was in darkness. Try as she might, she could not make her eyes adjust no matter how hard she strained them. Realising she could not move her arms or legs, she tried to use her other senses to find any clue as to what had happened to her. She listened hard, but there was nothing except silence. Using her fingers, she felt around behind her, feeling cool a cool concrete floor but little else.<p>

Twisting her fingers upwards, she realised her hands were tied with plastic garden ties, practically impossible to snap by pulling so she didn't even try. Assuming her feet were tied in a similar way, she shuffled around and pulled her hands down under her feet so that at least they were tied at her front instead of behind her. It was a start, but she had little else to do except wait and see what would happen. She remembered nothing about how she had got to her current location, or who was responsible. The banging headache she currently possessed told her that her assailant had probably used chloroform to subdue her. Pleased that she had at least come to that much of a conclusion, she rested her head against the concrete floor and let herself drift back into unconsciousness.

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><p>Harry resisted shouting at the rather unhelpful police officer standing before him. Having searched the entire village with no success, he had enlisted the help of the passing policeman in order to try and find Ruth. Being told that there was nothing he could do until she had been missing for 24 hours was doing nothing to calm his rising hysteria, and for the first time since he had left the UK, he wished he was back on the grid. He knew Ruth probably didn't have 24 hours, and his stomach turned at the thought of what she might be going through at that very moment.<p>

Leaving the policeman standing in the middle of the street, he stormed off back towards his house. The Brazilian law enforcement officer had begun to tell of his theory that Ruth may have been taken by local thugs wishing to win a healthy ransom from the rich white man that lived among them. Knowing this to be false, he could no longer stand to be in the man's presence and didn't even say goodbye before turning and walking away. Once home, he slumped on the sofa with his head in his hands.

'Where are you Ruth?'

He listened carefully for a minute, stupidly expecting either her to answer, or for some sort of sign, but there was none. Grabbing the cushion from the end of the sofa, he held it tightly to his chest, smelling Ruth's perfume on it. That was the last straw, and he let out the tears he had been holding in all morning, letting them fall onto the cushion. Feeling guilty for thinking the worst so soon, he roughly wiped his tears away with his hand and stood, looking purposefully around the room. He began rifling through their possessions, looking over and underneath everything.

'Come on...come on. There must be something. Anything. COME ON!'

He punctuated his shout by forcefully throwing an empty glass at the opposite wall. It smashed into a thousand pieces, littering the carpet. Not caring about the mess, he moved into the kitchen and repeated the same search. He froze when his eyes came upon the notice board pinned to the front of one of the kitchen cupboards. Before Ruth had found him, he had used it for notes to remind himself of things he needed to buy from the market, a shopping list of sorts. Recently, Ruth had taken to snapping photos of the two of them unexpectedly with a Polaroid camera she had bought, and pinned her favourites to the board.

Staring at the board now, he couldn't believe he had missed the new addition the first time he had searched the house. But, he supposed, at that point he had only been looking for Ruth, thinking that she had merely been playing a trick on him, so there had been no need to even notice the pictures. Now, he couldn't help but stare in horror at the picture that was pinned to the middle of the board; a new one that hadn't been there that morning.

In the picture was Ruth, unconscious, hands tied behind her back, and with a pistol pointed at her head. The words 'Tell No-one' were written in thick black capital letters across the bottom of the picture. Without thinking, Harry turned and vomited into the kitchen sink.

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><p>Ruth came to again, this time her headache gone, and the first thing she noticed was the plate of food on the floor in front of her. Realising that the fact she could see more than an inch in front of her meant her circumstances must have changed while she had blacked out, she took a moment to look around before taking the plate. She noticed a small strip of light from the other side of the room. It looked as though the window was blacked out, but somebody had cut a small strip about an inch wide off the bottom so that she would be able to see enough to eat. For a moment, she thought to herself that this must mean her kidnappers might be rather humane, before berating herself for thinking such a thing in the first place.<p>

'Christ Ruth, a humane kidnapper? Get a grip.'

Deciding that talking to herself wasn't exactly the most sane of ideas either, she shook her head to clear her thoughts and continued to inspect the room now that she could see it properly. The floor was indeed concrete, as were the walls. The window that was now producing that tiny sliver of light appeared to be the only window in the room, and there was a door to the right of it that looked extremely locked and impenetrable. There was no furniture in the room, or blankets of any kind, and she thanked the Gods that at least she was in a hot country, so she wouldn't be going too cold any time soon, even at night.

Taking the plate, she began to eat the sandwich that had been provided for her, thinking it best to keep her strength up should any opportunity for escape arise. As she ate, she thought about Harry and where he might be. Had he been taken too? Was he hurt? Did he know where she was? She hoped he was OK, and that he was doing everything possible to find her. Finishing her sandwich, she put the plate back on the floor just as a noise sounded from the other side of the door.

Her stomach turned as she realised that she was about to come face to face with the person or people that had taken her. She watched with trepidation as the door slowly opened but had to shut her eyes as the sunlight blinded her for a moment. Squinting against the brightness, she let her eyes adjust and they widened with horror as she immediately recognised the person stood before her.

'You.' She whispered, her whole body shaking.

The figure smirked and took a step closer to her before replying, blocking out most of the natural light coming through the doorway.

'Yes, me.'

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><p><strong>AN: Another dun dun dunnnnnnnn moment, sorry! Who is Ruth's kidnapper I wonder? Hmmmmmm...**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you to all the people who have reviewed so far, I'm glad you like this. Your suggestions over who is behind Ruth's kidnap were intriguing, and a couple of them even made me consider changing my mind! Nonetheless, I stuck to my guns and a few of you did guess correctly. Read on to find out. Oh also, apologies for the completely unrealistic nature in which Harry conducts his CSI-esque behaviour in this chapter, a little out there I know!**

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><p>Harry had sat at the kitchen table for almost an hour, holding the picture of Ruth tightly in his shaking hands while tears fell silently from his face. Yet again, she had been put in grave danger because of him, and he would never forgive himself if something happened to her. He had inspected the photo over and over again, looking for any clues as to where Ruth might be being held, but he could tell by the colour of the tiles on the floor that the picture had been taken in his house. With a sigh, he let the picture fall to the table and rested his head in his hands, wiping away his tears.<p>

He sat like that for a while, contemplating his next move, but he had no idea where Ruth was, who had taken her or what he could possibly do now except wait for some kind of contact from the kidnapper. It had been an overcast day so far outside, but at that moment the sun came out, and he squinted his eyes against the unexpected brightness. Deciding he could no longer look at the picture of Ruth, he moved to pick it up, but froze when he noticed something on the glossy surface that hadn't been visible until the sun came out.

There, on the top right corner of the photograph, was a fingerprint. Harry stared at it, wondering if it was merely his own. Thinking hard, he retraced the last hour in his head, back to the moment he had snatched the photo off the notice board. He was almost certain he had only touched the photo at the bottom, which meant that this fingerprint belonged to whoever had taken Ruth. Gingerly picking up the glossy print, he moved quickly into the living room with it and placed it onto his coffee table. Sitting down on the sofa, he made a call he had hoped he would never have to make again in his life.

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><p>Ruth pushed herself back as far as she could go on the concrete floor until she felt her back come into contact with the wall. She wanted to put as much distance between herself and her captor as she could. The sight of him standing there before her was almost too much, and her voice trembled as she spoke. She paused, taking a moment to compose herself, not wanting to seem weak before this vile man.<p>

'Why are you doing this?'

She raised her chin defiantly as he laughed. Waves of fear washed over her as he strode towards her quickly. Ruth was just aware enough though to use the opportunity to glance out of the door now that he had moved away from it, trying to get any sort of clue as to where she was. Unfortunately, all she could see were trees, as well as a rather large looking man with an even larger looking gun standing guard outside. Trying not to flinch when the man in front of her moved his face close to hers, she stared him down as he tried to intimidate her.

'You thought you had won didn't you, hmmm? That you and Harry Pearce could be _happy.'_

He struggled to get the last word out, as if the concept of anybody being happy was almost too much for him to bear. The man leaned even closer to Ruth; so close that their noses were almost touching. She could see the sweat on his top lip, and he stank of cheap whisky. It was only now she took in his appearance properly. He was unshaven, the stubble uneven over his face. His clothes were dirty and dishevelled. She noted wryly that in Harry, she had always found his dishevelled look incredibly sexy, but on this man, it merely made him look even more like the grubby little man that he was. It took every fibre of her being not to move away from him, but she stayed perfectly still, not wanting to show an ounce of weakness to him lest he try to exploit it. She heaved an internal sigh of relief as he finally moved away from her and began to leave the room. He stopped in the doorway and turned to face her once more before he left.

'Let's see how happy you both are once you find out what I have in store for you.'

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><p>Harry loitered outside the internet cafe for nearly half an hour before going in. What he was about to do was extremely risky, but he knew that he would never find Ruth without some help, and he had turned to the only group of people he could really trust. He had rung Erin whilst sat in his living room staring at the newly discovered fingerprint on the photo of Ruth. Dispensing with precaution, he had simply read out a phone number of a secure line in what he hoped had been a good disguised voice before hanging up immediately.<p>

Now that Erin was Head of Section D, he figured she would be able to delete the call log before anybody noticed and override the voice recognition software without alerting anybody. Even if she couldn't, he wouldn't care if he ended up being traced by the government, as long as it meant that Ruth turned up safe. Erin had rung the secure line immediately and he had explained the situation to her. The plan was for Harry to scan and e-mail the fingerprint to her and she would find out who had taken Ruth. It wouldn't get them any closer to finding her, but at least they would know who they were dealing with.

Finally going inside, he seated himself at the computer closest to the door should he need to escape, and took a look at the other occupants of the building. Deciding there didn't appear to be any suspicious characters present, he quickly logged on and scanned the fingerprint onto the system. It had taken him an age to extract the print from the photo. Having not had the chance to take fingerprints for many years, his skills were rusty, and he had had to improvise and use clear sticky tape. His shaking hands hadn't helped matters either, but when he held it up to the light, he could see ridge detail and he supposed that was all that mattered.

Attaching the file to an e-mail, he sent it to the address Erin had given him and logged off. Taking another look around, he noticed that nobody in the room appeared to be paying him any attention whatsoever, and left the building quickly. Now all he had to do was wait.

He hadn't even gotten halfway down the street when the phone in his pocket rang. Sidestepping into the nearest alleyway, he answered the call and spoke quietly, looking around continuously to make sure he was alone.

'That was quick, even for you Erin. What do you have?'

'Harry...listen. The reason it came back so quickly was because his prints were already in...well...look, I'm going to give you all the help you need. Say the word and I'll have Dimitri on a plane within the hour.'

Harry could feel his muscles tightening as Erin avoided his question. He had a bad feeling that he wasn't going to like what she was about to say.

'Spit it out Erin, who am I dealing with here? Mafia? Drug runners? Come on.'

He couldn't keep the nerves from his voice, and his fingers were beginning to ache from the vicelike grip he had on the phone. His blood ran cold when Erin finally revealed who had Ruth.

'Harry...its Oliver Mace.'


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: There's some mild violence in this chapter, so I'll slap it with an M rated warning just in case. Wouldn't want to offend anybody. Enjoy!**

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><p>'Harry...Harry, are you still there?'<p>

'Yes' Harry's voice broke and it was all he could do not to burst into tears whilst on the phone to Erin.

'Listen, go home and wait for contact. I'll do some digging, see if I can't find out where he might have taken her...and why.'

Harry nodded mutely, before realising that Erin wouldn't have been able to see the action, and he thanked her and hung up the phone. Standing in the alleyway, his thoughts were racing of how Mace had found them, and why he had taken Ruth. Deciding to take Erin's advice, he started in the direction of home and hoped it wouldn't be too long before there were any developments.

It didn't take him long to reach his front door, and he struggled with the lock for a few moments, his shaking hands not obeying what his brain was trying to tell them. His feelings had changed from despair to anger on the short journey home. How dare Mace interrupt their lives like this again? When he found him...well...there wouldn't be much of him left to put behind bars.

Sloping into the kitchen, he immediately noticed the padded envelope on his kitchen table and he looked around cautiously to see if there were any intruders in his home. Finding none, he gingerly picked up the package and inspected it for signs of any explosive. Having come to the conclusion it was too small to be a bomb of any kind, he opened it carefully and dropped the contents onto the table. The only item inside the envelope was a phone, and he switched it on, eager to see if there was anything on it that would help him find Ruth.

There were no numbers in the address book, and no messages in the inbox either. Sighing heavily he threw the phone to the table before snatching it back up again quickly as another thought occurred to him. Scrolling through the media section on the phone, he found a solitary video on the memory card and his hands shook as he pressed play. Immediately, Ruth's face appeared on the screen. His heart broke at how scared she looked and his fist tightened in anger as he thought about her being locked away somewhere with only Mace for company. _If he's hurt her in any way... _Harry's thoughts were interrupted when Ruth began to speak on the video. It was obvious she was reading from a script by the monotone way in which she was speaking.

'Harry. I am being held in a place you will never find. My captor's only request is that you...'

Ruth stopped reading from the script and Harry could tell she was now talking to Mace as her eyes were focussed somewhere behind the camera.

'No, I'm not reading this. I refuse. I won't let you do that to h...'

Ruth wasn't allowed to finish her sentence. A figure wearing dark clothes and a balaclava strode forward into shot and slapped Ruth hard across her face. He then pushed a pistol hard against her face and held the script up for her to carry on. Harry was beside himself; he felt so utterly useless having to watch Ruth hurt like that but not being able to do anything about it. Tears were streaming down his face and all he wanted to do was smash the phone into little pieces, but he forced himself to carry on watching, needing to know what Mace was going to ask of him.

'My captor's only request is that you...you fly back to England and t-turn yourself in to the authorities...Harry don't do...'

The video ended there, the last image of the captor again striking Ruth to subdue her before reaching forward and stopping the recording. Harry watched the last few seconds of the tape again, pausing it as the figure in the balaclava reached forward to end the recording. He looked closely at the eyes in the balaclava and what he already knew was confirmed; it was Oliver Mace.

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><p>Ruth huddled in the corner of the room as she watched Mace transfer the recording onto a mobile phone. Her face ached where he had hit her twice, and she wiped the trickle of blood off her chin distractedly. She had yet to find any clues as to where she was being held, and there had been no opportunity for escape. It appeared to be only Mace and his accomplice outside involved; she had neither seen nor heard anybody else around the room.<p>

'He won't do it. He'll leave me here instead of turning himself in.'

Mace stopped what he was doing and looked at Ruth with disdain.

'Don't be ridiculous Ruth. He loves you. Of course he's going to do it. Then his life will be ruined and he will know how I've felt.'

'So this is all about revenge? You're not going to let me go are you?'

Mace's only response was to laugh, and Ruth felt her blood run cold. The truth was, she had no doubt that Harry would go back to England and turn himself in if he thought it would save her. She had to find a way of letting him know it wouldn't help. She had to tell him to leave her here to die.

* * *

><p>Harry had re-watched the video three times now, looking for any tiny clue that might help him. It physically hurt him to keep seeing Mace hit Ruth, but he tried to focus on the background in the video instead. All he could see were concrete walls and a small window, nothing to go on. He dropped the phone to the table and put his head in his hands. The phone he had given Erin the number for started to ring, and it made him jump at the sudden noise.<p>

'Erin? He wants me to hand myself in. Get me booked on the next flight to England.'

'That might not be necessary Harry. Listen to this. Back in 1998 when Mace was still an up and coming young politician, he attended a conference on global warming with his US contacts. That conference was in Brazil, Harry.'

At this news, Harry became suddenly alert. They were getting somewhere. Gripping the phone tightly in his hand, he urged Erin to continue.

'I did some digging. He covered it up well, but when he was in Brazil he brought up some property under a legend named Michael Prince. I checked flights into Brazil for the last few months. Michael Prince landed at Recife airport three days ago. His property is less than 20 miles from the airport.'

Erin waited for some sort of response from Harry but didn't get any. She could hear him breathing on the other end of the line and supposed he was overcome with this new piece of information. Deciding she wouldn't keep him any longer, she left him with one more piece of advice.

'Harry...Mace is ruined in this country. There's a warrant out for his arrest and everything. He probably blames you and Ruth. It...wouldn't really be investigated if his body washed up on shore somewhere...if you know what I mean. Be safe Harry.'

Harry heard the beep on his phone that told him Erin had hung up and the device dropped from his hand, clattering on the kitchen table. He tried to process everything she had told him but it was just too much. Why did this always happen to him? Of all the places he could have fled to, he chose the very same place where his worst enemy had a summer home. And Recife; that was only about 10 miles away too. Sometimes he wondered whether the Gods really did have it in for him. Urging his tired body into action, he grabbed both of his guns from their hiding place and left the house without a backward glance.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This one is most definitely rated M for violence, so don't read on if it's not your thing. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy it.**

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><p>It hadn't taken him long to find Mace's house; the man was widely known in the town as somebody to avoid. He had searched the main house quickly, frustrated at finding nothing. His disappointment had turned once again to hope as he had stood in one of the upstairs bedrooms of Mace's house. Looking out the window, he had noticed an outhouse of sorts at the bottom of the garden, secluded and mostly covered by the trees. Deciding immediately it must be where Ruth was being held, he had made his way there as quickly as possible.<p>

That was where he currently found himself, biding his time and assessing the situation. He didn't want to jump in all guns blazing without knowing the full story, for fear of inadvertently harming Ruth. The building before him looked similar to the one he had seen glimpses of in the video on the phone; the window being the same shape and size most tellingly.

It was the guard outside the door that worried him the most. He held a large machine gun and was bigger than Harry was; it would take either some brute force or ingenuity to take him out. The trees thinned far too early for him to sneak up on the guard, he would be noticed straight away and shot. What he really wanted to know was whether or not Mace was currently inside with Ruth or if he had left to go somewhere. He got the answer to his question when he heard the unmistakable sound of Ruth crying out in pain coming from inside the building.

His grip on his gun tightened in anger and he ground his teeth at the thought of Mace in there with Ruth, causing her pain. Deciding he needed to act swiftly, he looked around desperately for any way of taking out the guard. It had to be done silently so that Mace was not alerted. If he knew something was wrong he could easily kill Ruth before Harry would even have the door unlocked. An idea came to him when he saw a bird flutter the leaves of a tree as it landed on a branch and he saw the guard flinch and watch it suspiciously.

Moving backwards towards the house, he ruffled leaves softly as he went, keeping his eye on the guard constantly. His nerves rose as the guard took the bait, peering into the foliage to try and figure out what was causing the commotion.

'Come on...just a little more...'

Harry whispered to himself, watching cautiously as the guard began to move towards him into the bushes. Judging that they were now far enough away from the outhouse that Mace wouldn't hear anything, he pounced. Holding his pistol tightly, he brought it down hard on the guard's forehead, noting with satisfaction the blood that immediately appeared. Surprised, the guard dropped his gun and Harry took the chance to throw it away into the bushes.

Anger took hold of Harry as he looked at the man on his hands and knees before him. This man had helped to kidnap the woman he loved and had brought her pain and suffering. Dropping his guns to one side, he rolled up his shirt sleeves and watched as the man shook his head, dazed. Without waiting for him to stand, he punched him repeatedly in the face, ignoring the pain in his knuckles. He didn't stop until the man's face was a bloody mess and he was clearly unconscious. Panting, he stood over the limp body, anger and adrenalin fading away. Looking down at his bruised and bloodied hands, he briefly wondered what Ruth would think of his violence, before deciding that her safety came first, and she could hate him later if she liked.

Dragging the guard back to the house, he secured him with rope from the garden shed, making sure the bonds were extra tight, and used masking tape to cover his mouth. Satisfied that his work here was done, he turned and made his way back towards Mace and Ruth.

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><p>'No, stop...please...'<p>

Ruth could only mumble, as she spit blood out onto the floor in front of her. The cut on her lip hurt, and she cowered in the corner of the room as Mace stood over her sweating and panting.

'You will pay for what you did to me Evershed. Harry will be in prison, and you will be here for as long as I deem fit.'

Leaning down, Mace grabbed Ruth by the arms and pulled her up into a standing position. Forcing her to look at him, he smirked as he saw the fear in her eyes. Holding her in place by her throat, he prepared to hit her again when the door to the room began to open. He turned his head, annoyance evident in his voice.

'Peters, I told you..._no _interruptions!'

As the door opened fully, Mace's eyes went wide when he realised it wasn't his guard, but in fact Harry Pearce stood at the entrance.

* * *

><p>'Get your filthy hands off of her right this second, and I might let you live.'<p>

Mace laughed, but it was a nervous laugh as he realised the situation he was now in. Peters was obviously unconscious or worse, and he had no weapon with which to defend himself. His only option now was to try and talk his way out of it.

'Now listen here Harry. I'm a reasonable man. Let's talk about this. I can...'

'GET. YOUR. HANDS. OFF. HER. RIGHT. NOW!'

Harry took three menacing steps towards Mace to punctuate his point, and watched with relief as Mace did as he asked, allowing Ruth to slump to the floor. She was barely conscious, he noted, and was covered in blood and bruises. He wanted nothing more than to go to her, but first he wanted to deal with Mace. Focussing his attention back on the man, he took pleasure in the fear in Mace's eyes as he retreated as far back as the concrete wall behind him would allow, hands spread out in front of him as if trying to protect himself.

Harry moved suddenly, closing the remaining distance between them and wrapping a strong hand around Mace's neck. Shoving him back against the wall forcefully, he began to punch him repeatedly with his other hand, punctuating each impact with an angry roar. He pulled back once more, intent on delivering the final blow, when two quiet words from the form slumped against the opposite wall stopped him.

'Harry...don't.'

Ruth spoke with such pain that it broke Harry's heart. He dropped Mace and was beside her in an instant, cradling her face gently in his bloodied hands and checking her all over for injuries.

'Sweetheart, I'm so sorry I let him take you. Did he...did he do anything else to you?'

'No...but this hurts enough. Can we please get out of here.'

Harry nodded mutely, lifting Ruth into a standing position and allowing her to lean on him heavily. They made slow progress towards the door, but were halted by a strangled laugh coming from the figure sprawled across the floor. His features were almost unrecognisable now, Harry having beaten him badly, but his slimy voice was still evident as he spoke.

'That's it Harry, you run along with your _woman_. Do what she says.'

Harry didn't speak, instead he carried on helping Ruth out of the door and they disappeared from Mace's view. He laughed to himself, and despite the pain he was in, he knew he had won. He would get better and find them again. His laughter died in his throat as Harry reappeared in the doorway, blocking out most of the sunlight. Seeing a glint of metal in Harry's right hand, his eyes went wide as he realised what was about to happen.

'No Harry, no. Wait, please.'

'Goodbye Oliver.'

Harry pulled the trigger, and the bullet hit Mace in the heart. He slumped to the floor and went limp immediately, a vacant expression in his eyes as the life left him. Harry stood and watched for a minute, taking great satisfaction in the scene before him, before quickly moving back to Ruth's side where he had placed her against a tree. Lifting her up into his arms, they left the house together and headed for home.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Since you were all so kind with your reviews, I decided to put the next chapter up straight away. Hope it's to your liking!**

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><p>'Ruth...we really should get you to a hospital.'<p>

Harry stood in the doorway to his living room, bowl of water and towel in hand, ready to clean up Ruth's cuts. He moved closer and placed the items on the coffee table, kneeling down beside the sofa where she was currently curled up in a tight ball. Blood had dried onto her face, and there were large purple bruises coming out on her chin, neck and shoulders where Mace had beaten and man-handled her. It killed Harry to see her like this, and he wanted her to get checked out properly in case anything was broken.

'No. No hospitals Harry. I'll be fine, it's just cuts and bruises.'

Harry sighed, but took Ruth at her word anyway. He dipped the towel into the water and moved towards Ruth's face in order to clean away some of the dried blood. On reflex, Ruth flinched away from his touch, having spent the last two days living in fear of every human contact she had experienced.

'God, I'm sorry Harry. It...it was just a reflex. I'm so sorry.'

Harry placed the towel back on the coffee table and gently took both of Ruth's hands in his own, glad when she didn't flinch or pull away this time.

'Ruth, you have nothing to be sorry for, do you hear me? Nothing. I'm the one that's sorry. Sorry for putting you in danger yet again.'

Ruth squeezed Harry's hands with as much strength as she could muster and sat up slowly to allow him better access to her face. Nodding at him to indicate it was alright to continue, he again picked the damp towel up and began leaning towards her. Instead of reaching out to her face, he pressed the towel into Ruth's hands first, intertwining his fingers with her own before dabbing at her face as gently as possible.

'We'll go slow OK?' Harry whispered 'Tell me if it hurts and we can stop.'

Ruth merely nodded, and allowed Harry to guide the towel over her face, still wrapped in both of their hands. It was a slow and tortuous process, and on more than one occasion they had to pause at Ruth's sharp intake of breath or cry of pain. It was quite possibly the hardest thing Harry had ever had to do, knowing he was inflicting yet more pain on Ruth. He began to wish he had made Mace suffer more before he had killed him, knowing that Ruth's own suffering still wasn't over.

Finally, all of the blood had been cleaned from Ruth's face, and Harry tried not to show his pain at the knowledge that the exercise had merely uncovered more bruises. Running his hands slowly down Ruth's arms, he encouraged her to stand.

'Come on, let's get you to bed. We can tidy this up in the morning.'

Harry again allowed Ruth to lean heavily on him as they made their way to the bedroom. He was glad that Ruth didn't make him leave as she undressed, her earlier reaction to him seemingly just a one off. Once under the covers, he lay stiffly on his side of the bed, not knowing whether she would appreciate any contact from him. He couldn't help but feel disappointed when she immediately turned away from him, but the disappointment was short lived when she reached behind and grabbed his hand, pulling his arm tightly around her. Shuffling closer, he placed soft kisses on her bare shoulder blade until the sound of her steady breathing told him that she was asleep. Once sure that she wouldn't wake again anytime soon from a nightmare, he allowed himself to follow her into slumber.

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><p>Harry awoke to the feeling of Ruth stroking the sore and bruised knuckles on his hand that was still wrapped protectively around her. Normally they both tossed and turned in their sleep, finding themselves in various different positions throughout the night. However, this morning they woke in exactly the same position they had fallen asleep in, a testament to the ordeal they had both been through the last couple of days.<p>

He tightened his grip on her as she continued to inspect his damaged knuckles and waited patiently for her to speak. He could tell she had something to say by the way her forehead was all wrinkled and her mouth kept opening slightly before closing again. Eventually, she must have found the right words, but they weren't words he was keen on hearing.

'You shouldn't have killed him Harry.'

He didn't quite know what to say to that, so he settled for kissing her shoulder blade in the same manner he had the previous night, hoping she would have more to say while he formulated a proper answer.

'I've never seen you that...that _vicious_ before. It...it scared me.'

Harry froze at Ruth's admission. The last thing he had wanted to do was scare her. He had known that she might not be happy with the manner in which he had saved her, but the fact that he now scared her devastated him.

'Ruth, look at me.'

He tugged on her arm lightly to get her to roll over. She obliged, wincing as the bruises on her arms came into contact with the mattress. Now that he could see her face properly, he could see the full extent of the damage Mace had done in the morning light. She had cuts on her lips and above her left eye, each cut surrounded by nasty purple bruises. With the faintest of touches, he ran his thumb over her cheek as he began to speak, catching a silent falling tear in the process.

'Ruth, I was so scared I was going to lose you. All I could think about was getting you back. I'm not going to apologise for killing Oliver. If I hadn't, he would have found us again eventually. I never intended to scare you though. You must know I would never _ever_ be like that towards...towards...'

Harry couldn't finish his sentence as emotion overcame him. His tears began to fall at the thought that Ruth was scared of him, or worse, that he would ever do anything like that to her. He felt Ruth's hands on his face, urging him to look up at her. Once his eyes met hers, he saw that tears were also falling freely down her face. She rested her forehead against his, placing the gentlest of kisses on his lips in the process.

'I love you Harry. We're going to be alright aren't we?'

'Yes Ruth, we are. I love you too. So very much.'

When neither had any more tears left to cry, they lay in silence just looking at each other, savouring the moment. Harry was glad to see that Ruth managed a small smile and he took it as a sign that his actions had been forgiven. Making to leave the bed, he paused when Ruth tugged him back towards her. He pecked her on the lips before escaping from her touch.

'I'll be right back Ruth. If I remember correctly, there's a breakfast we've been waiting to have for two days now.'

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><p><strong>AN: With any luck, that's all the angsty stuff out the way now and it'll all be fluff from here on out!**


	10. Chapter 10

'Harry, are you sure you don't mind? This is your home.'

Harry dropped the box he was struggling with and took Ruth in his arms, kissing her fading bruises lovingly before pecking her on the lips.

'My home is where you are Ruth. These are just bricks.'

'Thank you.' She whispered 'You really are the perfect man.'

They kissed in the middle of the now empty living room until things started to get heated and Harry reluctantly pulled away. Picking the abandoned box back up again, he made his way out to the moving van and attempted to find a place for the last remaining box of their possessions. It had been Ruth's idea to move, not feeling safe after the whole incident with Mace.

They had watched the news in silence as the discovery of his body was covered. The guard was stable, and Harry had no worries that he would talk. He was merely hired help after all, and probably hadn't even known their names. As Erin had predicted, neither Brazilian nor English authorities had any interest in investigating Mace's death, both quietly happy that he was no longer in the world.

Harry had agreed with Ruth's idea of moving, happy to go anywhere in the world as long as it made her happy. They had decided upon Italy, thinking that it was close enough to England that they could visit in secret should the need arise, and of course it being one of the most romantic places in the world had helped to sway it for Harry.

The van fully packed, Harry went back inside and stood with Ruth in the kitchen. She was staring out the window seemingly deep in thought and he hoped she wasn't lingering too long on the events of the last week. Their relationship hadn't suffered too badly since; Ruth had come to think of Harry's actions as necessary in saving her life, and Harry was just thankful that Ruth was still in one piece. She still awoke in the night on occasion, shaking and sweating and fearful that she would be taken again. It was the nightmares that had caused her to want to move. Being in a new place with a fresh start would hopefully make it easier for her to come to terms with her ordeal.

'Thinking happy thoughts I hope.'

Ruth was brought back to the present by Harry wrapping his arms around her waist and his lips kissing her neck. She leaned into his touch, enjoying the feel of him against her.

'Mmmmm, I am now.'

Ruth gasped as Harry slid his hands underneath her thin blouse, caressing the soft skin just below the lace of her bra. They had made love only once since Harry had saved Ruth, he not wanting to hurt her whilst she was still bruised and she holding back slightly due to her fragility. The night before had been slow and tortuous as they had rediscovered each other's bodies, and it had made Ruth realise what she had been missing. As Harry lifted her up onto the kitchen counter, she wrapped her legs around his waist and focussed on his lips and nothing else.

* * *

><p>Harry felt inside his pocket reassuringly for what felt like the hundredth time since they had been in the restaurant. The ring was still there, just like it had been every other time he had checked. He had intended to propose to Ruth before they left Brazil, but he was slowly losing his nerve as the perfect moment never quite seemed to appear. After everything that had happened, he wasn't even sure if she would say yes, but then he thought back to the day he had bought the ring, just before Ruth had been taken, and he realised that the second he had seen it he had known it was perfect for her.<p>

'Harry, what are you doing? You keep fiddling under the table every other minute. Is there a problem?'

He tried not to look like a deer caught in the headlights but failed spectacularly. His hand shot out of his trouser pocket faster than he had ever thought possible.

'What? No...no problem Ruth. No problem at all. More wine?'

Ruth looked at him suspiciously for a moment before seeming to accept his odd behaviour and nodded for more wine. As she reached forward to take the now full glass, she accidently knocked her fork off the edge of her plate, sending it clattering to the floor. She moved to retrieve it but Harry was quicker. He slid off his chair in a flash, lowering himself onto one knee and placing the fork back onto the table. He looked up at her from his position, realising this was the perfect moment he had been searching for.

Ruth was now looking at him questioningly, no doubt wondering why he was still on the floor even though he had long since replaced her dropped fork. Deciding he had better take action before she started to think he had gone crazy, he fumbled about in his pocket once again for the ring. He saw the realisation dawn on Ruth's face as he produced the small object, and her eyes went wide as saucers. Other people in the restaurant were by now looking at them as they realised what was about to happen.

'Ruth, I've never known anybody quite like you. I love you more than life itself, and this last week has only served to remind me that I could not manage a single day without you in my life. Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?'

He held the ring out towards her and waited for a response. The tears welled up in Ruth and she didn't even attempt to hold them back.

'Yes Harry. Yes.'

She threw herself forward off her chair and into Harry's arms and he just about managed to stop them toppling onto the floor. The applause from the other diners faded into the background as they kissed, neither of them focussing on anything but each other. Pulling away eventually, Harry slipped the ring onto Ruth's finger, kissing her again passionately. Smiling stupidly at each other, they re-seated themselves and attempted to finish their meals, a task made all the more difficult due to the fact that they wouldn't let go of each other's hands.

* * *

><p>'Are you sure these passports are safe to use Harry?'<p>

They walked through the airport hand in hand, Ruth whispering so as not to alert any authorities.

'I should hope so Ruth, since our belongings are already on the way to Italy on the last freight plane.'

Sensing her unease at the situation, he pulled her to a stop, kissing her lovingly and using their closeness to talk quietly in her ear.

'Erin sorted them for me. They're clean as a whistle. An early wedding present for us, she said.'

Ruth smiled at that, and they made their way through check-in and the departure lounge, making it onto the plane just in time. Once seated, they waited patiently through all the security checks and flight information until finally, they were in the air and leaving Brazil behind them for good.

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><p><strong>AN: Now, there can be an M rated piece to go with this chapter, if people want to see Harry and Ruth join the mile high club?**


	11. Chapter 11

They had landed in Italy an hour ago, and Ruth was becoming more intrigued by the second. Harry had bundled their luggage into a waiting limo at the airport and had given the driver an address of which she knew nothing about. He wasn't giving anything away either, merely telling her that he had sorted their living arrangements out before they had left Brazil. She knew he could be a vague man at times, but this was bordering on ridiculous.

'Harry. Tell me where we are going. Harry!'

Ruth became frustrated by his lack of response and the smirk that appeared on his face so she sighed heavily and turned to look out the car window. An idea popped into her mind of how she could break him, and she turned back to face him like a lion stalking its prey.

'Harry...I'm warm, would you mind helping me out of this jacket?'

Harry duly obliged, tugging on the arms of Ruth's jacket as she shrugged out of it. Making sure he was looking, Ruth allowed the edges of her top to be tugged down slightly too, exposing the bare skin of her shoulders and the straps of her bra to Harry. She could tell her plan was working as he turned a deeper shade of red and began stuttering.

'Ruth, erm...your ahhh...you appear to be showing a little more than intended.'

Ruth met Harry's eyes and hoped he fell for her innocent look as she tugged her top down at the front a bit more to give him an eyeful of her cleavage.

'It's just so _hot_ in here Harry. Maybe we could wind down the window?'

Without waiting for a response, she leaned over Harry to wind his window down, making sure to brush his chest with her breasts. She braced herself as she leaned over by placing one hand on Harry's thigh, perilously close to his crotch. Winding down the window, she flicked her hair back and moaned as the cool breeze hit her face. Looking out the corner of her eye at Harry, she had to stifle a laugh at the look on his face. It was a mixture of lust, love and pure astonishment that she was seducing him in the back of a limo. Taking pity on him, she sat back down, but not before giving his thigh a squeeze, noticing his growing arousal.

'Harry...where are we going?'

She tried to sound as sweet as possible, smiling at Harry as he turned his head towards her. He tried to concentrate on what she had just said but all he could think of was her hand on his thigh and her breasts pressed against him.

'Erm, we...we're going...erm...no. No, I'm not going to tell you Ruth, it's a surprise for a good reason.'

Ruth folded her arms and slouched down in her seat, feeling slightly like a child and slightly disappointed that her seduction hadn't had its intended effect.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, they arrived in a quaint little town on the east coast of Italy, and Ruth was surprised when Harry asked her to put on the blindfold he had produced from his pocket. At her questioning glance, he simply held it out for her to take and motioned for her to put it on. Ruth complied, fascinated with the mystery of it all. She had some suspicions that Harry may have gone ahead and bought a house for them, but she didn't want to get her hopes up in case she was wrong. She flinched a little when she pulled the blindfold a little tight and it pressed on her fading bruises. The pain soon disappeared when she felt Harry's gentle hands adjust it for her and his soft lips kissing her sore forehead.<p>

The sound of gravel underneath the wheels of the car, and the slowing down alerted her to the fact they had arrived at their destination. Anticipation grew inside of her as she felt Harry guide her out of the car and take her arm, helping her over the unstable gravel. They only walked for a minute or so before she felt herself come to a stop. She patiently waited as Harry untied her blindfold. Once it was fully removed, she could do nothing but gasp at the sight before her.

'Oh Harry.'

Turning to him, his smile wide, she threw herself into his arms and kissed him for all she was worth.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry it's short, but I thought I better get something out after a few days of waiting! What do we all think has got Ruth so shocked?**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: This will be the last chapter for this story, thank you so much to everybody that has ever left a review for it. I hope this is a fitting end. Enjoy :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Previously...<strong>

The sound of gravel underneath the wheels of the car, and the slowing down alerted her to the fact they had arrived at their destination. Anticipation grew inside of her as she felt Harry guide her out of the car and take her arm, helping her over the unstable gravel. They only walked for a minute or so before she felt herself come to a stop. She patiently waited as Harry untied her blindfold. Once it was fully removed, she could do nothing but gasp at the sight before her.

'Oh Harry.'

Turning to him, his smile wide, she threw herself into his arms and kissed him for all she was worth.

* * *

><p>Suddenly aware that they were being watched, Ruth didn't let the kiss linger too long. Pulling away from Harry, she took a moment to let the sight before her really sink in. They were at some sort of country manor, where she didn't know, but it was beautiful. It looked like a castle, with its old fashioned brickwork and turrets in each corner. The grounds were surrounded by beautiful large oak trees and wonderful marble statues. Set up on the large front lawn was a gazebo, with rows of white chairs all pointed towards a platform at the front. Stood a few metres away from her was everybody in the world she had ever cared for. Erin, Dimitri, Calum, Malcolm...they were all here, all dressed ready for a wedding. Her wedding. She felt Harry wrap his arms around her from behind as the nerves began to take over.<p>

'I hope you like it. If you're agreeable, I'd like to marry you now before we go to our new home.'

She turned in his embrace and kissed him again before breaking off and running to their group of friends. He watched as she interacted with them, pulling each one into a tight embrace before moving to the next. She lingered with Malcolm and he felt tears prick at his eyes, knowing she had not seen any of these people in years, particularly his oldest friend. Finally, he approached the group, his smile wide at Ruth's obvious delight with his actions.

'If you'll excuse us for a moment, my fiancé has a dress in our suite that she needs to put on. There's a free bar inside while you wait.'

He chuckled at the excited murmurings of Dimitri and Calum at the mention of a free bar and guided Ruth inside the building and up to their suite. As soon as they were inside the room, Ruth launched herself at Harry, kissing every part of exposed skin she could find. Each kiss was punctuated with a word as she tried to express her feelings to him.

'You...romantic...kind...sweet...man. I...love...you...so...much.'

They collapsed onto the bed, a tangle of limbs and clothing. Harry came to his senses when he realized their friends were waiting downstairs to watch them get married. Reluctantly he pulled away from Ruth, his breathing heavy.

'Ruth, there'll be time for that later. For now, what do you say we get married?'

* * *

><p>The ceremony had been beautiful, in the late evening Italian sunshine. Ruth hadn't been able to stop herself from crying when Harry had placed the ring on her finger, sheer happiness overcoming her. They had all eaten and drank far too much at the reception, and it was with a heavy heart that Ruth was now saying goodbye to her friends. She made them all promise that they would keep in touch; apparently the situation in England had lightened somewhat for Harry with the change in government, and although it wasn't yet safe for him to return, they would be able to communicate with their friends without fear of the authorities coming after them. Watching as they each drove away from her, she turned to find Harry leaning against a tree watching her with such love and adoration in his eyes. She approached, kissing him softly before he spoke.<p>

'Would you like to go and see our new home Ruth?'

She nodded, and allowed him to lead her to their car. They drove for less than half an hour before pulling into another gravel filled driveway. This time, turning the corner revealed a beautiful house, hidden away from the rest of the world by more tall oak trees. She thought it was just perfect, and waited impatiently for Harry to unlock the front door so she could go and explore.

He could hear her pottering about upstairs, small exclamations coming from her every time she found something new she particularly loved about the house. When he hadn't heard anything from her for a few minutes, he padded upstairs to see what she was up to. He found her in their new bedroom and the sight before him took his breath away.

She was waiting for him on the bed, dress dispensed with and flung over the chair in the corner of the room. Her underwear made his throat go dry; delicate black lace edged the deep red material of her bra and knickers. Without even realising he had moved, he found himself on the bed beside her, caressing her soft smooth skin with his fingers. Hearing her sigh contentedly, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. Things became heated extremely quickly and clothing was hurriedly removed. As Ruth undressed Harry, she was sure to kiss every new piece of skin that was revealed, until they were both fully naked. They made love slowly, wanting to moment to last as long as possible. Once it was over, they lay in each other's arms in comfortable silence, both eager to start their new lives together.


End file.
